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Motorists celebrate the end of the M4 bus lane
The dedicated lane for buses and taxis on the route into London will be abolished later this year
Motorists are rejoicing at the news that the government is to scrap the controversial M4 bus lane at the end of the year.
The official announcement will be made on the first day of the Conservative party conference by Philip Hammond, the Transport Secretary.
The three-and-a-half mile lane between junctions two and three of the motorway near Heathrow airport was set up by the Labour government in 1999. It was intended to allow buses, taxis and motorcycles to get into London more quickly. However, private car owners hated the scheme and decried it as a "white elephant". It was also poorly policed, and some motorists simply ignored it.
Prime Minister Tony Blair was one person who jumped traffic queues when his motorcade took to the bus lane to avoid congestion soon after it was installed, prompting accusations of hypocrisy.
The M4 route into London carries around seven per cent of traffic heading for the capital, and the bus lane was blamed for long tailbacks during the rush-hour and at weekends and bank holidays.
"Nothing is more symbolic of Labour's war on the motorist than the M4 bus lane," Hammond will tell Tory party members on Monday.
The lane will be suspended for 18 months, until the 2012 Olympic Games, and scrapped permanently after that.
Motoring organisations welcomed the move. RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: "Road capacity is in short supply and to have an underused lane like this has made little sense. While other motorways have been widened to allow for the growth in traffic, on this stretch of the M4, capacity was actually being reduced."
There was some criticism of the move. Bob Oddy, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LDTA), said: "It will be a great inconvenience to us and to our customers who, if they get caught in traffic, will end up paying more money." ·
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Ironically enough, it was put in to remove one lane early, and thereby reduce congestion on the motorway. Once the car drivers have their lane back, the congestion will get worse, not better. Odd, but true.
It is telling that Professor Glaister, so quick to sell congestion charging, supports the removal of the bus lane. It shows how little he understands about transport planning, and how much weight we should give to his opinions in future.
Francis King MA MSc MCIHT
Transport Planner